Happy days are here again

Hands up anyone who thinks we're going to get anything out of Saturday's away game at Southampton? The bookies don't. The home side are yet to win a game this season but despite that are 4/6 on to take the victory, the draw is priced at 13/5, and an away win at 9/2.

As far as the destination of my fiver is concerned then I don't see much value in the odds for the home win. A £5 bet at 4/6 returns a less than impressive £3.33, and that for a team that's drawn all their home matches so far this season. Mind, that doesn't mean I don't think Southampton aren't the likeliest team to win, their form does seem to be improving gradually despite a very poor start to the season. The Glovers away record on the face of it doesn't inspire too much confidence either - won 0, drawn 1, lost 2 - nevertheless we are beginning to show signs of being a durable side. We may only have won 1 game so far this season but (Norwich in the League Cup aside) we've never been thrashed - we've only been beaten by the odd goal in all our defeats so far. I can't see us winning at St Mary's (however much I'd like to) but I could see us drawing, and the draw is where my fiver's going this week. Running total: -£12.00p.

Picking the team for Saturday has become marginally more straightforward for Skivo with the absence of Jonathan Obika, who's on international duty for England u-20's for the next month. The gaffer's been blowing hot and cold lately over whether he's going to bring in a loan replacement in for the Spurs loanee. Last week he was going to replace Obika with a striker as well as bring in a midfielder to take the place of Danny Schofield, with Gavin Williams name high on the rumourmill in both Bristol and South Somerset. That had changed by the beginning of this week with only the Schofield replacement still apparently on the cards and Sam Williams being talked up as the obvious replacement for Obika. By today Skivo was once more talking about bringing in a striker as well as a midfielder, but by his own admission nothing was going to happen imminently.

So it looks like we're going into the Southampton game with a strikeforce of Sam Williams and Gavin Tomlin, and no recognised right-sided midfielder, as the silence surrounding the absence on the pitch of players like Scott Murray and Danny Hutchins is still deafening. Judging by the last 20 minutes of last Saturday's 2-2 draw with Stockport then Williams and Tomlin could well form a decent partnership, but with only the transfer-listed Andre McCollin as a recognised back-up then Skivo will be keeping his fingers crossed that his two main strikers stay injury-free. And that they do indeed form a decent partnership and score some goals. Because if they don't, then in the absence of Obika or a replacement loan striker then there is no plan B, and that's a worry.

Enough of the football on the pitch for now. Let's let Skivo worry about the team. What else has been happening at Huish Park this week? Well, the new social club is now only weeks from completion. The long-awaited facility with two bars - one for home fans and a smaller bar for away supporters, with both serving hot food at reasonable prices - is still on course to open before Christmas, replacing the dilapidated beer tent, now condemned by South Somerset District Council as a health hazard. The newly refurbished tea bars have never before been as busy or profitable with supporters praising the choice of provisions on offer and the prices charged, with special mention being given to the mobile vendors who walk up and down the stands selling drinks and snacks. The club has also started to see the benefit of increased gates following the decision to remove the match-day surcharge and the re-introduction of the ability to pay at the turnstiles rather than having to queue at the ticket office, both measures encouraging casual supporters to turn up to matches on the day, rather than having to plan their attendance in advance. The newly-introduced membership scheme is also proving popular, as is the abolition of that awful music over the tannoy after a goal has been scored. The Supporters Trust is going from strength to strength and the appointment of the new Supporter-Director to the board, nominated by the Trust, has given fans a real voice in the running of their club for the first time. In other words the buzz is back at Huish Park and so is the feelgood factor, all thanks to the board listening to what supporters want and acting on those wishes. Happy days!